Lesson Four • We Are Family
Devotion #4: No One Else
Mitchell Holmes
I think it is fair to say that most people would agree that the term “family” is one that is used to describe people that are close to you and understand you on a deep, emotional level. However, we see the word family used in many different ways. It may be used to describe biological families such as your siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and more. It may be used to describe your closest friend in phrases such as, “I am going to invite my buddy over for the barbeque, he is like family.” The word is even used in media such as in a personal favorite series of mine, “Band of Brothers” in which a platoon in World War II all refer to one another as a family that bonds over the struggles of war.
I think all people are born with an innate understanding that family is something that is supposed to be close-knit, loving, supportive, and protective of one another. That is why we love to extend the term to those closest to us even when they are not family by blood. These are the people that are meant to be there for us when all else fails. These are the people that truly understand us and know our faults. These are the people that love us.
As we go through this series on the book of Ruth, we have seen how the story places heavy emphasis on the family and what a healthy family looks like. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that not everyone has pleasant experiences with their family. Some of you may come from families that have been broken and scattered; Naomi and Ruth battled with such an issue as this. The fortunate thing is, we serve a God of miracles that brings reconciliation.
Ruth 4:14-15 says, “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.’”
Our God is a God that cares about the broken and the hurting. He brings peace and comfort. He brings restoration and reconciliation to those who feel cast out and alone. He brought a redeemer to Naomi and Ruth. I am so thankful to serve a God whose favor rests upon the lowly and whose grace extends to the brokenhearted.
God uses family to bring reconciliation. Through His Son Jesus, He has made it possible for you to be reconciled to Him and free from sin. John 1:12 tells us, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Regardless of your past, no matter how lonely you feel, even if your own family is broken or painful, Jesus extends His hands to you and offers an invitation into the family of God through belief in Jesus and what He did for you on the cross. If you are reading this and want to be welcomed into the family with Almighty God, find someone who can tell you more about what Jesus did to free you from sin. Maybe you are reading this and you already have a relationship with Christ but you do not like church. I encourage you to come and be a part of a family like no other. Families have the unique ability to frustrate us like no one else, but they also have the ability to love us like no one else.